Unstoppable Pogacar triumphs in the duel of the giants

Slovenian cycling dominator Tadej Pogacar also won the second Monument of the year on Sunday, triumphing in the duel of the giants with Mathieu van der Poel.

April 05, 2026

From: dpa

The 27-year-old world champion won the Tour of Flanders half a minute ahead of his long-time classics rival, van der Poel. Remco Evenepoel impressed in his debut, finishing third. For the UAE team captain, who won Milan-San Remo for the first time two weeks ago, it was his third Tour of Flanders victory after 2023 and last year.

With his twelfth victory in one of the five Monuments, only Eddy Merckx, with 19, has more than Pogacar. He secured his latest win on Belgium's national cycling holiday, a 278km race from Antwerp to Oudenaarde, with an attack on the Kwaremont climb, just as he had done a year earlier, in a duel with the Dutch Alpecin rider Van der Poel. The Slovenian maintained his lead, established 18km from the finish, on the Paterberg and extended it slightly on the final flat kilometers. With his third victory, Pogacar joined the Flanders record holders Van der Poel, Tom Boonen, and Fabian Cancellara.

Evenepoel makes a strong debut

In addition to the bothersome wind and numerous steep climbs, a closing railway crossing, which briefly split the field, and a heavy downpour added further excitement to the early stages. During the dry, decisive phase with around 50 km to go, featuring several climbs in quick succession, Red Bull captain Evenepoel lost ground to the leading duo by several seconds. The Belgian double Olympic champion's deficit grew to over a minute in the finale.

Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel at the 2026 Tour of Flanders. © APA/afp / NICO VEREECKEN

Wout van Aert (Visma) and Mads Pedersen (Trek) finished as the next pursuers. The next showdown will take place next Sunday at Paris-Roubaix. Pogacar has never won the cobbled spectacle in France, while Van der Poel has won it three times in a row.

Keywords cycling Tour of Flanders Tadej pogacar Remco Evenepoel Mathieu van der Poel